NewsOne Looks Back On the Most Unbelievable Crimes Of 2012

In 2012, there were a number of crimes that took place, which were heartbreaking, flat-out ridiculous, and outrageously shocking. Here, NewsOne looks back at some of the most-unbelievable criminals of 2012.

1. George Zimmerman: Imagine killing a young boy just because he sported a hoodie and happened to be Black? Well George Zimmerman, fatally shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on February 26th as the youth was strolling outside in a gated community and “armed” with a bag of Skittles and bottled ice tea. The self-appointed neighborhood watchman spotted Martin, deemed him “suspicious,” called police, then took matters in to his own hands. Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense turned out to be bogus. How do you claim self-defense when you are the pursuer? Zimmerman, who was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, has had his trial set for June 10th of next year.

2. Rudy Eugene: The poster child for the hallucinogenic bath salts craze is without a doubt Rudy Eugene. On May 26th, when a naked Eugene violently assaulted Ronald Poppo, 65, a Miami-area homeless man, by gnawing off most of his face, the world could not quite understand what happened. Eugene, 31, who became known as the “Miami Zombie” was shot to death by police after his 18-minute-long savage facial chewfest. Police sources speculated that Eugene might have been under the influence of a street drug like “bath salts,” but toxicology reports were only able to identify marijuana in Eugene’s system. The ultimate cause of his horrifyingly bizarre behavior still remains unknown.

3. Black Madam: Padge Victoria Windslowe, 42, otherwise known as the “Black Madam,” was arrested and charged with third-degree murder, conspiracy, reckless endangerment, and other violations in March for the February 2011 death of Claudia Seye Aderotimi, 20. The Black Madam injected Aderotimi with a series of fatal silicone butt injections at a Philadelphia-area airport hotel. Windslowe was known for throwing “pumping parties,” which took place in hotels or at private residences. She would charge clients (mostly exotic dancers hoping to enhance their money-makers) $1,000 for four silicon butt injections that would make their ordinary butts bootylicious. Windslowe has performed at least 14 cosmetic surgeries, moving locations and using different names to avoid detection. The non-medically trained woman would then close her patient’s wounds with Krazy Glue. The “Black Madam” remains in jail on a $750,000 bond.

4. Na Cola Darcel Franklin: Instead of looking forward to a wonderful honeymoon with her would-have-been hubby, Billy Rafeal Brewster, 36, instead stabbed him in the heart by mistake eight hours before their nuptials last August, after they got in to a heated argument at their Whitehall Township, Pa., apartment where they had been living together for a year. Franklin, charged with criminal homicide in Brewster’s death, and is being held in a county prison without bail.

5. Diamond Pender and Jacquel O’Neal: Teen Mom Diamond Pender (pictured left) , 18, and Jacquel O’Neal (pictured right), 18, were cuffed in August on child sexual abuse and assault charges. An investigation was launched by Copperas Cove Texas Child Protective Services upon receiving a tip about suspected abuse with regards to Pender’s 7-month-old daughter. The couple was jailed when investigators discovered that the infant girl had been bleeding from her vagina and that Pender “knew about the bleeding but did not take the child to the hospital because she did not want to get the authorities involved.” Doctors determined that the child had been sexually abused, suffered from severe vaginal bleeding and tearing, and needed surgery to repair it. The baby also had fractures in both legs, a burn on her abdomen, three broken ribs, and bruising.

6. Raquel Gonzalez: Hot-blooded Raquel Gonzalez was arrested in November and charged with felony domestic battery for pummeling her lover Esric Davis, 30. Why? Bad sex, of course! The 24-year-old woman was dissatisfied after Davis climaxed and she did not, so she took her frustrations out on him by scratching and punching him.

And according to police, Gonzalez managed to land some serious right and left hooks on Davis’ face. Now the Latina scraper is in a jail cooling her sexual jets.

7. Talae Thomas: How could anyone look at a 5-week-old baby and think it’s the devil? Well, Talae Thomas did. When police found the disoriented Mother lying on a street median, she told them that she had lost her child a week earlier and was still bleeding. Thomas was then taken to an area hospital while police went to her home to find relatives to inform them about the young woman’s condition. When officers arrived at Thomas’ residence, they found Thomas’ son, Chase Harrison, floating in a child’s tub. The 30-year-old Mom confessed to police officials that she thought her son was the devil so she drowned him on November 15th. The young Mom, who could quite possibly be suffering from some form of mental illness, is being held without bond at the Hillsborough County Florida Jail on first-degree murder and aggravated assault charges.

Watch news coverage of Thomas’ grisly killing of her son here:

8. Artis Hughes: What do you get when you cross a city bus driver and a mouthy passenger? You might wind up with a good old-fashioned beat down and a physical ejection from the bus by its driver, which is what happened to Shi’dea Lane (pictured right), 25, who thought it was perfectly fine to disrespect city bus driver Artis Hughes (pictured left) in September. The young woman boarded Hughes’ Cleveland, Ohio, city bus and began insulting him when he accused her of not paying the fare. A loud argument ensued and then Lane pushed Hughes with both her hands, a move which prompted the driver to leave his seat in order to teach Lane a lesson. Hughes answered Lane’s violence with some of his own, giving Lane a brutal upper cut to her face. The drama was caught on video that went wildly viral for all the world to see. Hughes wound up losing his 25-year job and Lane has hired a lawyer so that she can go for the gold.

9. Charles Bush: Fifty-six-year-old Charles Bush was arrested for stealing his neighbor’s sex toys. On August 29th, Greeley, Colo., police received a call from Bush’s neighbor, who is unidentified, that she suspected Bush of stealing her “large selection” of sex toys, from lotions to personal care items. She told police that Bush’s wife and adult daughter had returned the personal care items and lotions to her but that the sex toys were still missing. When police arrived at the woman’s house, they were also told that a pair of binoculars had been left on her bed. A fair trade perhaps? Not! When they were granted permission by Bush’s wife to search their home, they found one of the stolen toys in a backpack. Bush’s daughter was also able to identify her father’s binoculars as well. Police were then able to book Bush on suspicion of second-degree burglary and misdemeanor theft.

10. Arteesia Donaldson: A Thanksgiving Day dispute over a misplaced detachable latex penis made Arteesia Donaldson throw an ironing board at her girlfriend, Latoya Hudson. Donaldson was put behind bars for not only misdemeanor assault and battery but the Rock Hill, North Carolina resident also had some outstanding warrants in a neighboring county.

11. Charles Marshall: When Cincinnati health clinic employees caught Charles Marshall last June sexing a teddy bear in the alley of their workplace, it was a tad too much to “bear.” Marshall was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. But wait, the most recent criminal charge was not Marshall’s first with regards to masturbating with a teddy bear; Marshall had four convictions in the past two years for public indecency or disorderly conduct charges — it is unclear if Marshall uses the same fluffy bear for each sexual escapade, though. According to experts, Marshall could be suffering from Ursusagalmatophilia or Plushophilia, which is when someone has an affinity for stuffed animals.